Skip to main content

Editor's Pick ( Test): India - South Africa

By


Three tests, six ODI and three T20 matches. The teams are at the venue. The first test begins on Jan 5th. There were supposed to be two warm-up matches. But India preferred training sessions. Wonder why. Didn’t want to reveal a few tricks? Because India has not only been playing quite a bit recently but also playing well. The reason is the tough conditions in South Africa that the Men In Blue are not quite used to. They may be the champs when it comes to venues in the Indian Subcontinent. The real test is while playing in Conditions that are totally new to them. Like South Africa. Possibly, the matches played in India and in Sri Lanka were their warm-up matches.

Dhoni is not on the test team. He will join the team to play in the ODI.  He totally agreed with Kohli on the decision to prepare. With so many matches, teams are made to just play instead of prepare. Well, I agree. While Kohli and team have 9 successive series victories, the key will be to win on a pitch that is not batting friendly. Not an Indian subcontinent pitch.
South Africa has a good side too. Dale Steyn returns from injury. Vernon Philander supports him as a new ball partner. AB de Villiers adds strength to the batting department.

Let’s take a look at the team for the test matches.

South Africa
Faf du Plessis ( c ), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock (wk), AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morné Morkel, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn
India
Virat Kohli ( c ), Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Parthiv Patel, Cheteshwar Pujara, K. L. Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Umesh Yadav

My lineup
Batsmen
Virat Kohli
Rohit Sharma
C Pujara
Shikhar Dhawan
AB De Villiers
A Rahane
Bowlers
K Rabada
Vernon Phinalder
Morne Morkel
Wicket-Keeper
W Saha
All-Rounders
Hardik Pandya

This is no walk in the park for the Indian team. This challenge is not only difficult but also unfamiliar. India has struggled in South Africa, crumbling to the bowling attack and winning just two out of 17 tests conducted. But one advantage that this team has - many of the players have been to the Rainbow Nation and know what to expect. This squad could be different. This squad could make history.

Indu

P.S. Please note that the above-expressed opinions are purely the Editor’s. We do not take responsibility, nor can we guarantee the performance of the players. All the best !!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TNPL - A Brief Rundown

By
Based on the stupendously successful Indian Premier League is the Tamil Nadu Premier League. This Indian T20 cricket league has been established by the Tamil Nadu State Cricket Association to bring out more and more Natarajans and Washingtons who otherwise do not get a chance to showcase their skill and talent in the world of Cricket. The inaugural edition of the TNPL took place in 2016 and received unexpected and unprecedented success and love. There was a brilliant batch of young men who came forward and made an event out of the first season of TNPL. Venues  India Cements Ground, Thirunelveli NPR College Ground, Dindigul  MA Chitambaram Stadium, Chennai  Changes The purpose of every organization is to make it bigger and better. TNPL is no exception. At the inaugural TNPL 2016, there were the traditional two semifinals and one final. This year will see a format similar to IPL. The finalists are decided by two qualifiers along with one eliminator. This format has pr
Post a Comment
Read more

Editor’s Pick(PKL)

By
Four more days of Kabaddi, a teeny break and the next round commences on October 23rd. The super playoffs. All this hard work only for that. A look at the point table will give you an idea about who COULD go to the next level. Course anything could happen in the last minute. Anyone could topple. You remember the havoc Bangladesh created during the Champions Trophy. They threw out the big guns. I mean, they probably stopped West Indies from qualifying too, come to think of it. Back to Kabaddi. Zone A is still topped by Gujarat followed by Haryana and Pune. The other three teams - Mumbai, Jaipur and Delhi. Zone B, Bengal take the lead followed by Patna and UP. Today’s match-UP meets Bengaluru. UP is third and are doing very good for themselves. Bengaluru, fifth on the table, don’t really look like they have a chance. Only thing they do want to do now is walk out with a smile saying yes, we tried. UP Yoddha - Squad strength: 18 (16 Indian, 2 Overseas) Defenders – Jeeva Kumar, Ha
Post a Comment
Read more

From all of us Fans to Players & Officials: Please don't treat us with kid gloves

By Anonymous
As any fan will tell you, we not just love, but understand the sport and our teams like no one else. And that’s also why they keep bankrolling the big fat salaries of the players, the profits of the clubs and the boondoggle of officials. The recently concluded test match raised, in my mind, three instances where the thought process seems to be – it is OK for us to handle it, but it is too hot for fans . Common, now, please don’t treat us with kid gloves. One: The first one, inevitably, is about the DRS and taking the dugouts inputs in it. The rules are clear – the decision to ask for a decision review stays with the players on the field. Within a few seconds of the umpires’ decision, the batting team can dispute an out decision or the bowling team can dispute a not-out decision, without consulting with anyone outside the playing field. The controversy of Smith’s ‘brain-fade’ and Kohli’s allegations have played out ad nauseam on TV and cyberspace, so I will spare you that
2 comments
Read more